Thursday, July 05, 2007

The Last of the Realists: A Distributist Biography of G. K. Chestertonby Harold Robbins

Written by one of his contemporaries, this biography of G. K. Chesterton gives new insight into the politics of one of the early 20th-century's most all-encompassing authors. Championing a worldview that focused on the need for justice and social equality, Chesterton sought to make society respectable and balanced through his countless political, economic, and religious writings.

This compilation of important distributist authors delivers valuable insight into the manifest problems of society. Although most of the contributions were written more than 50 years ago, the questions raised by the writers have remained largely unanswered, and essays regarding topics like education, work, and freedom have lost little relevance in the ensuing decades. Featured authors include Eric Gill, Harold J. Massingham, and Dorothy Sayers.

Release Date: January 1, 2008

The Guild State: Its Principles and Possibilitiesby G.R.S. Taylor

The medieval guild is deconstructed into political theory and social commentary in this contemporary look at one of the most important social institutions of the Middle Ages. Essential principles and values underlying the guild system are discussed with a view toward applying them to current societal ills such as unemployment, absentee corporate ownership, and employee disenfranchisement. The system, adapted to the needs and circumstances of the 21st century, is discussed as a serious economic alternative to the alleged disasters of capitalism and socialism; indeed, this book proposes it to be the only useful system because of its revolutionary and successful past.

Already on Sale

The Medieval Future of Arthur Joseph Penty: The Life and Work of an Architect, Guildsman, and Distributistby Peter C. Grosvenor

More focused than a general biography, this book is a study of the principles and values that Arthur Joseph Penty, an influential 20th-century thinker, maintained and discussed throughout his life. Believing that capitalism was dehumanizing and destructive to farming, craftsmanship, and personal accountability, Penty advocated more socially responsible ideas that, the book explains, are still relevant today.

Release Date: February 2008

Beyond Capitalism & Socialism: A New Statement of an Old Idealby Several Authors

Explaining the socio-economic theory of distributism, this anthology argues that political, economic, and social liberties and freedom are penalized under both socialism and capitalism. With distributism—and other "third way" alternatives to capitalism—the human person, the family, and the community take precedence over bureaucrats and barons. Society exists for man, not the other way around.